no strings attached

no strings attached

See also: no-strings-attached

English

Alternative forms

• NSA (initialism)

Etymology

According to one source[1], the origin of this phrase is from the cloth industry, where a small flaw in a fabric would be marked by a string so it could easily be spotted. This suggests a meaning of "without flaws".

In ancient times, documents that were written on parchment had strings that were used to tie them shut, after they were rolled up. The Babylonian Talmud in Tractate Bava Metzi'a[2] mentions an example of a man who gives his wife a get (bill of divorce) with a string attached, but holds on to the string, so that he can snatch it back (apparently because he is unwilling to actually give her a divorce). According to Jewish law, this is not a valid divorce, because the man has not properly delivered the get, by freely giving it to his wife.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

no strings attached (not comparable)

1. (often hyphenated) Characterized by an absence of conditions or obligations.
   • 2009, Vivian Salama, "Pakistan and China: A Fraying Friendship?," Time, 19 Feb.:

     Since then, Beijing has often offered its support to Islamabad in the way of economic assistance, but also with no-strings-attached military aid.

   • 2020 November 18, Richard Clinnick, “Network News: Emergency funding package of up to £1.8bn agreed for TfL”, in Rail, page 15:

     He also criticised what he called the Government's "bailout" of the privatised rail companies with no strings attached, stating: "There is simply no reason why the same easy solution could not have been applied to London, [...]."

Synonyms

• unconditional
• zipless

Antonyms

• quid-pro-quo

Translations

characterized by an absence of conditions or obligations

German: bedingungslos (de), vollkommen unverbindlich Italian: senza se e senza ma Navajo: doo bidiitʼiʼii Spanish: sin ataduras, sin compromiso

Adverb

no strings attached (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Without conditions or obligations; without a catch.

   For a friend, I'll help out for free, no strings attached.

   • 1902, Jack London, "A Daughter of the Snows", Chapter 21.

     Listen. We've kept it quiet, but she's in with the elect on French Hill. Her claim's prospected the richest of the outfit. Present indication half a million at least. In her own name, no strings attached. Couldn't she take that and go anywhere in the world and reinstate herself?

   • 2013, Tim Myers and Melissa Sheppard, “Bad Things”, in Dear You‎, performed by Meiko:

     You say that you want / All of my love / But let's be honest, we don't need all that / I like it better with no strings attached

Synonyms

• unconditionally

Antonyms

• quid pro quo

Translations

without conditions or obligations

German: ohne Bedingungen, ohne Haken und Ösen, ohne jegliche Verpflichtung, vollkommen unverbindlich Russian: без за́дней мы́сли (ru) (bez zádnej mýsli), без (bez) всяких (vsjakix) условий (uslovij) (bez vsjákix uslóvij) Spanish: sin compromiso

See also

• no questions asked
• strings attached

References

1. “Archived copy”, in (please provide the title of the work)‎, accessed 14 May 2008, archived from the original on 2008-05-17
2. Epstein, Isadore (1986) Tractate Baba Metzi'a, London: The Soncino Press

• “no strings attached”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.